We've been waiting to get past this door for ages, and it turns out to just be a regular old Magic Key Door. Hopefully the poor people of Sniflheim won't begrudge the wait too long.
...This is certainly no winter wonderland.
("The city gets completely frozen over" is a reference to DQ6, with Mt. Snowhere suffering from the same fate. The parallels end there- a few details match, but the lessons being taught are polar opposites, pun intended.)
Quick reminder of the plot: Sniflheim's main gates have been frozen shut, an unusual circumstance considering the importance of that passage for... well, life itself. Now that we've gained access to the city itself, we can see the problem is quite a bit more extensive than that.
I don't think you can get this from normal freezing.
Erik: It's cold, sure, but there's no way the whole city should be frozen solid like this. Let's check this place out and find out what's going on here...
Veronica: Everything's been turned to ice! The castle, the houses...even the people! There goes our plan to ask them about the orb... Still, we're not just going to give up and go home! Let's see if we can find someone who isn't frozen stiff!
Serena: Even the poor animals are frozen solid! I do hope they're going to be alright...
Sylvando: Look at these people... They were just going about their business when they got frozen in place- it's like time's just stood still! Listen, I'm no meteorologist, but there's no way a cold snap could have caused this. There's something fishy going on, honey, mark my words!
Jade: Did Sniflheim get hit by an ice storm? Is that why everything's frozen? I don't know much about cold climates, but this seems too extreme to just be down to bad weather. There must be some other explanation...
Rab: The plan was to see if King Gustaf would lend us his orb, but that doesn't look like it's going to be possible now. We should try and find out what happened here, laddie. We can worry about the orb later...
A somewhat interesting thing is that, while the people in the village square (...hexagon?) are reacting in alarm to something that appeared in the centre, the people on the outside were going about their day. I wonder how quickly the freeze worked, if that's the case.
His shame lies here eternally.
As does his. Resists temptation to move the bunnygirl and replace her with the sleeping guard.
Yes, that is a treasure chest encased in this ice!
This is our current objective- the one person in all of Sniflheim still capable of locomotion. And heat.
If you were reading in the middle of an abandoned city, people turning up would be quite the shock.
That still brings up the question of why you're in an abandoned city. I suppose she probably didn't have a Magic Key to escape out the back?
All right, so how do you get a flash-freeze?
I mean, after a mermaid and a talking painting, a witch seems pretty normal. What's the difference between this witch and Veronica, anyway?
Well, she certainly knows her way around ice. Kinda feels redundant to be an ice witch in the ice area, but on the other hand, no better place to practice your craft?
Just imagining a Frizzle spell being thrown at the gates is laughable. Even her endgame fire spell feels a little too small to fix this mess. Although I also wouldn't want to have her flinging fire magic around at people's houses.
Rab spots something he's familiar with. As an old King of Dundrasil, he's quite familiar with Sniflheim and the other major powers of the world.
For example, he's aware that Frysabel is a new Queen. How old she is is unstated, but we do know she's not quite shaken her childish side yet.
Honestly, King Gustaf looks like Dumbledore in flashbacks to sixteen years ago. I'm impressed he lasted that long.
Well, I imagine unfreezing the place will be our best bet for gaining the trust necessary to borrow it.
Rab is amazed Frysabel doesn't remember the treasure off-hand. It's not, like, the most important thing ever, but it is probably the most valuable thing in Sniflheim.
Yeah, looks like there's no getting around this.
...As good an idea as any, I guess? Killing monsters and breaking their powers seems to be a fairly standard conclusion in Dragon Quest.
"Soldiers from a faraway land"? Now where might that have been?
Why do I get the feeling we'll be doing all the "saving" ourselves?
The Hekswood is the first of the two dungeons we'll be completing for the story. Of course, we already rinsed it for its goodies, but now we know why we're going there, the game will let us deal with the monster in there. Why couldn't we do it sooner? No idea, honestly, but I feel like the story consequences would be too severe at that point.
So then, let's go see what's got Frysabel all worried.
Erik: The witch Queen Frysabel told us about must be crazy powerful to be able to freeze this whole city. And she's not even the only one we need to worry about- it sounds like she's got some kind of guard dog too. Something tells me we're in for a real fight here...
Veronica: Getting rid of the witch might break her spell and melt the ice. It's our best chance of saving the people of Sniflheim. The Queen said she was hiding in the Hekswood, to the north of the Snærfelt. Let's head on over, shall we?
Serena: So it wasn't just a cold snap after all- a wicked witch froze Sniflheim with her magic! But if we can defeat her, it might very well break the spell. Come along, Erdward- we have a witch to defeat and a kingdom to save!
Sylvando: Oh... My... Goodness...! Did you hear what the Queen said!? A witch, Erdward! An actual, real-life witch! I thought they only existed in fairy stories! I wonder what she looks like? Classically wicked, I bet- a big black hat on her head and a boil on the end of her nose! (shiver)
Jade: Queen Frysabel said a band of soldiers from a faraway land came to her aid. Who exactly are they, do you think? She wasn't very forthcoming with the details. Still, they must be on our side if they've agreed to fight the wicked witch. We should go and help them.
Rab: So auld King Gustaf's no more... Ach, it's a real shame. He was a wise, unflappable ruler who loved his people well, and was well-loved in turn. And now a wicked witch has brought his kingdom to its knees... We have to give her what for and save this place- for Gus's sake.
...Ooh, that's coming up soon. Odds are I'm going to bump into that. Now we're prepared, though.
They'll stay alive as long as the blue flames in their bellies keep on burning, and as such, are seen as symbols of life's evanescence.
Luminous lamplings, far from being as frosty as their friends, are still plenty happy to cast Sizzle instead of Crackle. They can also drain your MP to help them out with that. They're new to DQ11, same as their brothers.
These beastly bears have gone way beyond their basic brethren to become kings of the forest. When potential prey presents itself, their focus is so intense as to make them almost unstoppable.
Ursa minor comes from DQ3, cameoing in DQs 10 and the remake of 7. They're pretty tough, although clearly not tough enough for the game to make them solo fights. Their main abilities are crits and Pep, though, they don't have anything else.
Not that it's much consolation.
Yay?
I also decide to start working on my Boomerang skills. See what I mean about Erik needing to be multidisciplinary to shine? You almost can't afford to not have him invest in something- although Boomerangs is definitely the weak link if you want to try him as your damage dealer.
Passionate percussionists who pound away enthusiastically despite the nippy northern winds. What better than a jam session to warm you up?
Bongo fandangos, also new to DQ11, have one trick. They can play a peppy beat to Pep Up everyone on the enemy team. They also have a Pep Power of their own, which is honestly small potatoes after the fact.
The sumptuous, snow-white fur of these sizeable serpents is warm enough to ward off even the most biting of blizzards.
Now it's time for these guys. Chihuawyrms like to hide in snowy conditions, but they're even tougher than Ursa Minors- and clearly the game's happy to pair him up with a bongo fandango to make my life more miserable. His attacks are a fireball, a Ferocious Roar (to damage and attempt to inflict knockdown), and he can pep up on his own just fine.
Lucky this happened on the way.
Umbral entities drawn from the deepest depths of darkness who thrill in using the chill of night to kill, kill, kill!
Shadows come from DQs 3, 6, 8, and 10, and I'm sure they have some complicated "stats of other enemies" deal like the Shades. They usually like to turn Chilly Breath and Crackle on you, and they can always call for more of them.
Ruthless robots who mercilessly hunt down metal slimes for molten globules, with which they mend their bodies so they can keep on hunting.
Now here's an enemy. Hunter mechs are first in a line of the most dangerous kind of monster around, and true to their description, they could appear before now if you were trying to hunt Metal Slimes through Electro Light. These guys hurt like hell, with attacks like Robochop and Attack Attacker (which can drop your Atk if it lands) ready to throw at you. They come from DQs 2, 5, 8, 9, 10 and the remake of 7.
Increasing the crit chance of spears could come in handy, but I can't help but wonder if I'd be better served investing elsewhere.
The Snaerfelt is a different area to Sniflheim, so it does have different weather patterns. Also, take note of my position- it took me forever to find this cow. That should be the last one I needed to become a master mooteorologist.
All right, let's take a rest before we move on.
...Look, just because this is now a reasonable time to be in the area doesn't mean this has gotten any more pleasant of a battle to be fighting!
Thank you Jade for still being powerful. We're approaching the point her Platinum Lance is something the game is ready for, though.
Wow, that was a good Boom, too. Really shows you how good Veronica can really be.
Long years in a cold climate have caused these little gobs of goo to accrue a crystalline covering by means of absorbing moisture from the air.
Slimecicles come from DQ10, and they really know how to be the most annoying shell slime they can be. They come with Crackle and Snooze for normal business, and also the Bounce spell. Yeah, uh, when you need magic to really get past their shells...
Veronica picks this up. This is a self-buff that's basically her equivalent to Oomph- I don't use it as much as I perhaps ought, probably because she's so busy applying Oomph to others.
All those nights of reading under the covers finally paid off when these perspicacious platypunks finally unlocked the secrets of spellcasting.
Crack-billed platypunks come from DQ4 and 10, and honestly, their magic is limited to Crack and Crackle. It's their Abilities that really hurt- MP draining, the Underpants Dance, and the ability to seal Abilities. Not that they're really strong enough to employ them.
Oh yes, Rab's going to love this one eventually.
He's also kinda out of panels to really focus on. That'll change once the circumstances do and Rab can shine on the front lines.
All right, Hekswood for real this time. A fairly linear dungeon all up, we've already rinsed it for its goodies.
Erik: You've got to watch out for blizzards around these parts. When those storms pick up, it's a total white-out. It's easy to lose your way, or bump into something you'd rather not...
Veronica: Here we are in the Hekswood! Now we just have to find that witch and knock some sense into her, and Sniflheim will be saved! So stop wasting time staring into space, will you? The sooner we get rid of the witch, the sooner we can put our frozen feet up in front of a nice, warm fire!
Serena: The party of foreign soldiers that the Queen told us about will probably be here already. Wouldn't it be nice if we could join forces with them and defeat the witch together!?
Sylvando: Owowowowow... I slipped on the ice and did myself a mischief. It turns out the river's frozen over, that's how cold it is out here! Watch your step out there, honey. If you try to cross the water too fast, you'll slide off the rink and into the drink!
Jade: The wicked witch is hiding somewhere in these woods. That's probably why it feels like we're being watched... She also has some kind of magical beast protecting her, according to Queen Frysabel. Stay on your guard.
Rab: Michty me, this forest just goes on and on! You could easily lose your way among all these identical trees. The only thing we've got to guide us is the river. We'd be wise not to stray too far from it.
New to the Hekswood, now that it's plot relevant, are the soldiers that Frysabel sent this way. Hey, you look familiar...
Well, if that isn't the loveliest note to come in to. This can only end badly.
Don't let these master archers put you to sleep with their poisonous arrows- the second you do, they'll follow up with a ruinous Rain of Pain.
Well, I can't say this description doesn't do my job for me. Bodkin bowyers come from DQs 4, 8, 9, and 10, and their attack list boils down to "put you to sleep, attack 3-4 targets randomly with Rain of Pain, and call for more of them".
Hug the right hand wall! Wait, you have to cross frozen rivers to get around this place.
Their hypnotic stare is said to be able to send anyone to sleep, but it's actually the fact that they're constantly casting Kasnooze.
Drackymas come from DQs 1, 5, 8, 9, 10 and the remake of 7, and seem to be the major recolour of Dracky that sticks around. In this game, at least, Kasnooze is actually their only trick.
The cold never bothered me anyway. Plus, I now have this coat for 15% ice resistance!
...I don't know what to tell you. This is all on you. Joining the army means getting sent to exciting places and fighting battles. If you didn't want to do that, you should not have enlisted.
With that said, I infinitely prefer you doing this to that.
All right, without any further ado, time for us to finally see what's at the end of this forest.
A heavy blizzard. Certainly setting a mood...
...Oh. Well, this can only end badly.
For some particularly strange reason, the monster we are challenging here screams using the Ö character. It sounds like he's screaming the word "Jaw", if you want an idea as to how that's pronounced. I'm not sure whether that makes the use of ö legitimate from a phonological standpoint, but the use of it as a creative decision is definitely just showing off.
As for why the monster is screaming at all... he's already got into a fight with somebody.
Sir Hendrik!
...So who am hoping to win here?
Hendrik is doing this for the same reasons we are- it's the right thing to do.
...Although his priorities are not as in order as I'd hope.
Unfortunately for us both, Hendrik's lapse in judgement has gotten him attacked.
A hulking great creature who haunts the Hekswood with his horrifying howls of 'Jööööööööör!', with which he freezes foes before battering them.
Beast family
820 HP
999 MP
Jörmun is a solo boss with Erdward, and as a result, there's an upper limit to the tricks he can pull. As much as the series likes the idea of duels, the fact is the way the game works makes it so teams can fight more interesting games than single party members. This is why the most fun earlygames are the ones that start you with a party member.
He has three tricks- a snowball that can drop your ice resistance, a good kicking, and a joyful shanty that ups his Atk 2 stages in exchange for losing 1 stage of Def.
That makes our job so much easier.
This will definitely help.
Just look at how much damage that is compared to his HP.
At least he's having fun.
He sure isn't getting much taking swings.
So long, noble beast.
And Hendrik killsteals. We got EXP, at least.
...Monsters don't normally do that.
Oh dear. We can totally take him, I guess, but it's not the greatest of odds.
Fortunately for us, though, we have been half frozen in ice before any fighting can happen.
Wait, that's not good news at all.
Well, you've certainly done that. Although Hendrik came in here with the intent to kill her, the witch only really cares about returning fire (or ice) because someone asked her to. Admittedly, she'd probably kill him off anyway, but not even introduce herself otherwise.
Well if that's not the most shocking little relevation of all. We haven't been introduced to this necklace yet, and that's basically the only reason we don't immediately realise exactly what Hendrik has just realised, but Hendrik treasures this particular necklace quite heavily- and has a close bond with the owner of its match.
And now he- the owner of the necklace's match- is working with the witch that has utterly destroyed Sniflheim.
Finally, someone sick of the heroes always asking the villains "why". In this case, while she literally has them on ice. They're good questions, but seriously, time and a place.
Fortunately, we have an ace in the hole.
Someone threw us a fireball. This is enough to chase the witch off- for now, at least, she's not our problem.
We're not freed of the ice from that, it vanished- presumably because the witch's focus was broken.
Ah, Veronica. What would we do without you?
So then, with Hendrik here, we've got a tangle with Heliodor's business to wrassle with. And to think this was going to be a simple story about a witch having frozen a town over.
...Huh? It seems Hendrik has bigger fish to fry. I'd feel offended, but, uh... I'm sure the witch's interest in his necklace has rattled him.
...Hendrik?
Well, we're done asking questions about that, we have our own bigger problems.
So yeah, it turns out being frozen from the legs down for a few minutes is likely to cause bodily harm. Although now I'm suddenly imagining Hendrik succumbing to the same thing just off-screen.
This hut is on the map in the Snaerfelt. I'm not sure if you can visit its current occupant before now, but we'll be introducing ourselves now.
There he is now. This man is from Sniflheim, and escaped the witch's curse because he wasn't there at the time.
This is an actual question- But Thou Must, but a question nonetheless. We're definitely better than "suffering hypothermia" if we're standing up.
Snorri can only be a friend from here.
I don't think we're informed why he was out, but it is enough that he was.
Hopefully that is "something useful".
Ah, that's helpful, a name. I assume the "mighty mage" that imprisoned Krystalinda was Erdwin's mage, but it seems weird that they'd call him "a mighty mage" and not "Erdwin's companion" if that was the case.
On one hand, all books are worth preserving. On the other hand... do we want that book in a library? Seems like something we put on a shelf somewhere... less likely to be opened by someone unaware of the consequences?
...Oh yeah, this is sword-and-sorcery, a library is that kind of place. Especially this library, honestly.
Fortunately, the monsters don't attack the books, but still. Accessibility of information and I'm treating libraries as modern ones again, aren't I-
At least our party is close at hand. Although I feel kinda bad they were sitting out in the snow. This is a long way from the Snaerfelt campsite.
Aw...
Although Ronnie's self-conscious about it.
Well, glad you guys can figure out I would've done this on my own- although the fact I've already been to the library already was a helpful guideline. Having Snorri in your party is necessary to get the Royal Library to do anything- only he can read the not-red books.
This is just a gameplay description of how to reach the Library from Snorri's cabin. It's not that hard to spot from a map, but it is worth mentioning so the players don't spend too long ramming their face in the part of the map you can visit to the east.
Snorri: The great mage who bested the witch in the Age of Heroes left a record of his deeds in the Royal Library. Reading this account may allow us to find a way to seal her away again. The Royal Library is to the east of the Snærfelt, but it is high on a plateau. We must circle around to the south to make our ascent.
Veronica: All that time you were asleep, your whole body was burning up and you were moaning and groaning like nobody's business. If everyone hadn't taken such good care of you and nursed you back to health, you might not be standing here today. So make sure you give them all a proper thank you! ...O-Oh, no- I don't mean me! Honestly, I only did what I had to... Just make sure I don't have to do it again, alright!?
Erik: So the rescue party the Queen told us about were Hendrik and his goons... I've got to admit, I was kinda on edge when I saw him- that guy never normally leaves without a fight. This time, though, it seems he's headed back to Heliodor already. Guess we scared him off, huh?
Serena: While you were resting in Snorri's cabin, Veronica spent every waking hour by your side, holding your hand and mopping your brow. She must have been ever so worried about you. I've never seen her fuss over someone like that before.
Sylvando: Look, Erdward- I know that witch is easy on the eye, but don't let her foxiness fool you! Real beauty isn't just skin deep, it comes from the heart- and you and I both know that slinky siren's ticker is as cold as ice!
Jade: The pendant the witch took from Sir Hendrik was given to him by my father. It's a token of fealty to Heliodor. Why would she even want such a thing? She doesn't have any connection with our kingdom... Not that I know of, anyway...
Rab: I've heard Snorri's name before, ye know. Aye, he's quite the celebrity among Sniflheimian scholars. If he can find what he's looking for in the Royal Library, we might just be able to figure a way to save this kingdom.
As awkward as I feel saying it sometimes... the Erdward/Veronica ship isn't coming out of nowhere. I like the idea behind it, although I'm happy to agree Veronica got robbed of the chance to reverse the de-aging thing she got hit by.
Their former owners' souls sought refuge inside them, and were joined by little pigs, who they then trained up to be seriously good sorcerers.
Hat hamwitches come from DQ10, and they come with Bang and Fizzle. Very much the not-scary enemy to have around.
Sylvando's got some more Charm. Always helpful to have to really get that Hustle Dance healing as much as possible.
While I was serving up bacon, one of them dropped this in their rare slot. This is basically what it looks like- stick it on Veronica's head and her MaMight goes up. You can also stick this on Rab and, for some reason, Sylvando. Sylv's MaMight isn't worth that much, is it? I guess he's got Swoosh...
Silent stone sentinels animated by arcane enchantments. Though they may move slowly, they hit hard- steer well clear if you can.
Living statues come from DQs 3, 6, 8, 9 and 10. They're not capable of much other than hitting you and launching tremors that hit multiple party members, but they're very good at that and a little difficult to push damage past. Treat seriously.
There's a good slime over here, happy to tutorialise the nature of the Royal Library.
You have to push buttons to get the arrangement of the library to shift around and progress further in. Sounds clever, but I wonder if it's truly necessary.
As far as I can tell, there's no instance when you have multiple buttons to push to worry about.
Incidentally, though, these buttons use the same animation as Yggdrasil's Guidance. Remember when we had that?
Snorri: My investigations lead me to believe that the great mage wrote a record of his battle with Krystalinda- a record that sleeps upon these very shelves. It is most likely in the mage's study, at the top of the central tower. Alas, it may not be as accessible as one might hope. The library has many magical switches by which one might move the walls and bridges. Only by pressing these switches in the right combination may we find what we seek.
Erik: Man, I've never seen so many books in my life. It makes my head hurt just looking at them. Guess I'm not cut out to be a scholar, huh? If you can read through any of these dusty old tomes without falling asleep, more power to you.
Veronica: Here we are- the Royal Library! If Snorri's right, there's a book somewhere on these shelves that will tell us all about the time the witch was sealed away. If we can find it, we might be able to work out how to do the same thing ourselves! Keep your eyes peeled, Erdward!
Serena: Gosh! There are bookshelves covering every wall in this building! It's rather hard to tell one from another... Be sure to keep a close eye on where you are and which way you're heading, Erdward, or we might end up going around in circles!
Sylvando: When I saw this beautiful building rising above the snowfield, I thought it'd be full of people, but it looks like the monsters have taken over. And judging from the mess, I'd say they've been here quite a while. The dirty birdies have really made themselves at home...
Jade: This library looks absolutely ancient. But why would anyone build such a beautiful building in such an inhospitable place?
Rab: Could this be the legendary Royal Library of Sniflheim? I've heard tales about the place, but I was never sure how many of them were true. They say it was built in the Age of Heroes to house the combined knowledge of all humankind. Some call it the ‘Pinnacle of Wisdom’. Chances are there's a fair few volumes in here that'll come in handy on our little adventure. If ye spot anything that looks useful, be sure to read it from cover to cover!
There are lots of red books in here- you'd think more of the library would be interesting, but I guess Erdward isn't that invested. This book cannot be read by us yet anyway.
Ancient legends tell of a mighty and mysterious beast that lives deep within the heart of the Hekswood, a frozen forest on the Snærfelt steppe.
Many generations ago, the people of Sniflheim worshipped this creature as their guardian spirit, and would offer up their thanks for the bounteous blessings they believed it bestowed upon them.
This book is also interesting- we can read a little bit about it, but it actually stops early. Later on in the game, this book will have more passages added to it. Those later passages are gameplay tips relevant to a lategame sidequest, and while I knew those gameplay tips were in the Royal Library, I didn't realise they were in this book. There are reasons for this, but I feel like, considering how important those gameplay tips are, this book should be highlighted as unusual somehow. Like the Wizard's Canticle.
The glowing things either spin part of the library around to open doors, or move the stairs and bridges around to point someplace else. Either way, access forward is permitted.
This is where the Tockle that let us go to Alltrades Abbey was. Here on in, it's all new stuff.
Like, for example, this being the place where you're most likely to find some Liquid Metal Slimes.
New skills inbound. Definitely starting to feel like Jade wasn't played to her full strengths.
Long, long ago, in the frozen land of the north, there lived a great black serpent that terrorised the people of Sniflheim.
One day, a brave young man came forth and bested the dragon in battle. Having done so, he sealed it away in the ice of the frozen lake of the Snærfelt, such that it could never break free.
But that great hero has long since passed away. Should the beast ever escape its icy prison, Sniflheim will surely fall under its cruel gaze once more…
You can even see this dragon in the ice- it's not a part of the Snaerfelt I've been to yet. This young man is Erdwin, and now his being unnamed stands out. Odds are that, if the dragon gets out, it'll be our job to put him back in.
The three books of the Canticle are all in here.
Priests who serve a dark and unknown evil. Their extended exposure to eldritch energies has stripped them of every last vestige of humanity.
Wrecktors come from DQs 2, 5, 7 and 10 (although they looked different in 7, lacking their dual-wielding maces), and despite how scary those clubs look, these are mages. They can block attacks with them, though. They know the spells Boom, Zing, Bounce and Kabuff.
In DQ2, one guarded the ultimate weapon of Princessa. Their design is also somewhat uniquely DQ2- the bat symbol on their robes is the symbol of the Cult of Hargon, and wrecktors are not the only enemies who have brought that symbol into worlds where Hargon isn't a thing. As far as the Heroes know. Which is... alarming.
Saint's ashes! Good to have, good to have. Good not to ask where they come from.
Immediately identifiable by their fierce and blood-curdling war cry, the vicious Vikings are known to many as the Terror of the Northern Seas.
They are known for their love of pillage and plunder, and the stories tell of their sailing up and down Erdrea’s northern coastlines, bringing chaos and ruin to every town and village in their wake.
But such bloodthirsty raiders comprise only a small part of the Viking population. The majority of this hardy people are honest men and women- traders of considerable competence.
Should you ever happen to encounter a member of this intriguing tribe, be sure to greet them with a warm smile and a full goblet. Do so, and you will have a stalwart ally for life!
...I have more questions about Vikings than I did before this book. This is partially based on information not available in the story yet, but I think this might somewhat bridge the gap between the two at-odds portrayals of Vikings in the story. The problem being, the good ones live with the bad ones.
My story starts innocently enough: I was walking through the forest one day when I came across a leger-de-man. It hadn’t seen me, so, overcome with curiosity, I decided to sneak up and take a peek inside its robes.
It noticed immediately, and flew into a rage! “How dare you embarrass me like that!”, it bellowed. “You’ll soon see how you like it!” And with that, it stormed off.
Ever since that day, my life has been one embarrassment after another! There’s not a doubt in my mind that this is the work of the leger-de-man and the terrible curse it placed upon me.
When I start my prayers at chapel, I suddenly need the lavatory! If I try to talk to a lady, I become so distracted that I forget what to say! And in combat, I am struck dumb with thoughts of previous failures!
Mark my words, dear reader- this is the most embarrassing curse in all Erdrea! I call it Shypox. Alas, even my powers of imagination have been rendered cringe-inducingly weak by it!
And now, even as I write this, I realise my britches have been unfastened this whole time! Truly, this curse is a force to be reckoned with!
A treatise on the Shypox status of Draconian Quests. Some of the things that characters can feel when overcome by Shypox are pretty clever, and it's a shame you have to deal with Shypox to encounter them.
(Incidentally, the leger-de-man is an enemy we'll encounter later. He's a recolour of the prestidigitator.)
Switching the staircase up here, and now I have to find out where to actually get on that.
...Aw, the dragon is teaching the wrecktors and hat hamwitch.
Exceptionally well-educated dragons who other monsters studiously avoid for fear of being bored stiff with titbits of trivia.
Could've fooled me. The professaurus is new to DQ11, and he's also a magic user. He has Sweet Breath, too, but he also knows Frizzle, Crackle, Boulderbringer and Anathematise. His common drop, hilariously, is the same weapon that was Princessa's ultimate- it's a lightning staff.
This is a bunch of decent recipes for Veronica and Rab.
Good for avoiding Fizzle and upping your MaMight. We're around the point where we want to consider elemental resistance instead, though.
That last Bash was far too ambitious...
Not even better than the Magical Hat...
That's our destination, over there. We just need to reorganise the library to point some bridge into it.
Cut down a tree, and upon the exposed stump you will see a pattern of rings, the number of which will be equal to the number of years the tree has lived.
But what of Yggdrasil? Were we to fell that greatest and most ancient of trees, would we see such rings? And how many might there be?
Just how many years has the World Tree been up there watching over us all?
I suspect that the existence of our arborescent guardian predates that of even Erdrea itself. That its history stretches back further than mere human minds are capable of comprehending…
...To be honest, that question depends on how Yggdrasil re-barks itself. A tree that stood for centuries? It's one massive tree, all right, but how big can it grow before the structural integrity gets compromised?
...Magic tree, Beth.
There are six kinds of earrings in here, each giving 10-25% resistance to one of the six main elements- fire, ice, light, wind, earth and lightning. And that's also... roughly the order you should care about making them. Although perhaps elemental resistance isn't the best use of those slots.
We have to go up to level 4 to progress on level 3- this is the main point that might throw you off.
And the last Canticle is in here. The red books aren't just in the alcoves.
Mimic on the top floor, and uh... wait, is Snorri still on the other side of that bridge? Dangit, Snorri. That bridge can't be fallen off, it's just a narrow bit of land.
Widely regarded as the leading cause of casualties among incautious adventurers- a reputation they do their damnedest to uphold.
Mimics are upgraded canniboxes, appearing in all games from DQ3 onward, and they set the standard for trapped treasure. They can crit and know Thwack and Drain Magic- basically just a cannibox but more. They usually are, honestly.
Thwack, of course, is very annoying.
Rab just now got Zammle? This is why I'm not using him in boss fights.
Button at the very top of the structure. Because of course there is.
This hat is good for getting some extra Agility. Honestly, it was a lot better in the old games, where helmets were themselves few and far between.
Many hundreds of years ago, before the kingdom that stood on the site of Nhou Wat was reduced to ruins, its wizards created some of the most advanced magical devices our world has ever seen.
The nation’s chancellor, in his loyal devotion to king and country, invested greatly in the development and distribution of vast numbers of these artefacts, many of which have survived to this day.
Among them, perhaps the most commonly encountered nowadays are the magic doors that protect vaults and strongrooms the world over, and which can only be opened with the fabled magic key.
Imagine the bankers’ and quartermasters’ dismay when Nhou Wat fell, and the chancellor disappeared forever… along with the key they so desperately needed!
Let this be a crucial lesson: Never base a banking system around something with a single point of failure.
Huh, another Drustaniad, too. Good to note there's one of these as well as the Canticles.
...And we're still rearranging the Library.
...Somehow, though, we got here. It had to happen eventually.
...Yes, that's a very helpful book. Honestly, you'd think there'd be more "reading the journals of the people who did impressive things" lying around- perhaps writers don't think the kinds of people who seal witches in books are the kinds of people to write journals?
On the other hand, if you sealed witches in books regularly, you'd probably be pretty cautious of books in general.
Ignoring the casual "conquer her".
Shakespearean story short, the mage, by putting part of the witch's magic in a beast, managed to put the rest of it in a book because his magic was stronger than the partial magic the witch had. In essence, if someone is stronger than you, divide their strength in half and then beat their halves one at a time.
We have a wolf? I mean, I'm sure Erik is 100% human, but...
...Don't tell me...
Snorri looked up.
Well then... Oops.
Veronica's face.
Veronica brings up this point, which is... well, OK, I'd say it'd be a pretty terrible defence, but we're not Sniflheimian. We had no reason to doubt Frysabel's account of the situation, and we'd be pretty terrible if we did.
Which puts the question of "where did this misinformation come from?" to mind. Why did Frysabel lie? Is she uninformed, too? This book was in the middle of a monster-infested and confusingly laid out library...
On the other hand, Frysabel was reading a book, which... not the most damning bit of evidence, but it still paints a picture of someone who might take more precaution than Frysabel did sending both us and the Heliodorians to the Hekswood.
Just a casual reference to a forbidden section of a library. Why are those books forbidden and to who? The story doesn't seem to linger on that fact (although why the book the witch was sealed in was included should be obvious), but the entire point of a library is that it is making information available to everyone. "The forbidden section of the library" is an oxymoron on par with "the cult section of the school".
Veronica reasons that, whatever the reason for the contradiction, it's definitely something we need to consider asking Frysabel herself about.
Snorri: What if the book you saw Queen Frysabel reading in Sniflheim was the very grimoire in which the witch was imprisoned...? I was overjoyed when I heard Her Majesty was safe and well...but now I fear that the opposite might be true...
Erik: I always thought it was weird that Frysabel was the only Sniflheimer who escaped the witch's spell. Now, I don't know about you, but I think I'm starting to understand why that might be. Come on- let's head back to town.
Veronica: The Queen was definitely reading one of those forbidden books Snorri told us about. What if it was the very same one that the witch was imprisoned in...? I think we need to have a little talk with Her Majesty. We'd better head back to Sniflheim right away.
Serena: It seems that book Snorri found at the library has given my sister some sort of brainwave. She's awfully clever, you know. If Veronica says she knows what to do, you had better believe her!
Sylvando: Ronnie's got a bit of a bee in her bonnet. You should do what she tells you, honey. You don't want to rub that pocket rocket up the wrong way!
Jade: It seems that the beast you and Hendrik slew in the Hekswood was actually the one that was sealing away the witch's true power... But then, why would Queen Frysabel tell us it was the witch's pet? It makes no sense. Unless...
Rab: If what that book Snorri found in the library said is true, then we've been looking at this whole situation topsy-turvy. I'm still not entirely sure what's going on around here, but if anyone can tell us, it's the Queen. What do ye say we go back to Sniflheim and have a heart-to-heart with the wee lassie?
Sylvando, I have several objections to your entire Party Chat line, but I highly request you rethink the phrase "rub that pocket rocket up".
Long, long ago age of gathered together Lo, ye forgotten a people lost to time
This tome concerneth realm all but invisible. However within dwelleth, spirits or sprites, faint yet
Mayhap even time itself
most forbidden terrible power Time’s shattered world shalt fall to ruin
Well, if that isn't the most pleasant reading ever.
We have one last button to push to reach the exit. When we could've Zoomed or Evaced. There's treasure and books on the way back, so you want to take this path.
Here are the treasures.
There once was a world, in which there was a kingdom, in which there was a town that had been brought to the brink of destruction by monster attacks more times than could be counted.
Life was so hard for the poor villagers, and the fear and stress so great, that they pled with the wisest man among them- a hunched, grey, old man- to do something.
The old man thought and he thought and he thought some more. He could not save the village by the strength of his own arm- he did not know how to fight, and was far too old to learn.
So he set his mind to seeking out another solution. Lost in thought, he paced hither and yon through the village…until he tripped upon a small stone and fell flat on his backside! And that is when an idea struck him.
“This tiny stone was so sturdy and strong that it brought a man hundreds of times its size to his knees. Imagine what a piece of rock hundreds of times bigger again might do…”
And so the old man got to his feet, and though dust and mud still covered his hands and face, he swore then and there to make a mighty stone warrior powerful enough to protect the town.
I think the idea of this is that it is setup for the town of Cantlin from DQI, which is guarded by a golem (the classic DQ monster kind).
Chapter 6: The Witch Who Sought Eternal Beauty
Long, long ago, in a cold and desolate land far to the north, there was born a girl more beautiful than any other in all Erdrea.
But though she was fair, her heart was small and ugly, and she detested the very idea that another might ever be prettier than she. Her boundless self-regard meant that she could love only those who fawned over her.
The girl soon realised that age would rob her of the one thing she held dear, and, fearing this more than anything else in the world, she turned to the dark, forbidden magic of witchcraft.
Through the use of warped and wicked spells, she turned her blood to freezing water, colder even than ice. And though the cost was high, she gained what she sought- eternal beauty.
But her soft, pink skin turned a chilling shade of blue, and her breath was cursed, freezing solid in an instant anything it touched.
They say that of the ninety-nine men who followed her to the ends of Erdrea to sing songs of her beauty from morning till night, not a single one escaped being turned to ice by her kiss… but nobody knows for sure.
For of those ninety-nine men, not a single one ever returned from the frozen forest of the Hekswood…
Krystalinda, I assume. Interesting that this book is focused on her vanity, though.
Now then, for our next boss, it's obviously a good idea to make a few of these.
Well, that's the most disappoint forge ever.
...
...Genuine question, where would you sleep if you did? You grew up in the snow kingdom, I grant you, but humans are not built to sleep out in the middle of the snow with a single campfire for warmth. Nor, to my knowledge, are most animals.
Veronica's spotted a thread.
She stomps in, yoinks her scarf, and spots an injury on her neck underneath.
Clever, aren't we. Veronica even had a moment to narrow her eyes and realise "hey yeah, that doesn't add up."
Yeah, no point keeping up the charade.
...Did you just get a magical girl transformation? Not the whole sequence, but still.
...Oh yeah, we now have to look into dealing with this witch.
At heightened power. So hey, Snorri, how did the mage split her power again?
Well, now we've gotta figure out something to take her out. While she's attacking us. At least she's not running away.
At least Snorri has a plan. Let's see if we can't do our part.
A wicked witch who attacked Sniflheim centuries ago, and was sealed away in an ancient book. Her lascivious looks have lured countless men to a wintry doom.
??? family
1800 HP
999 MP
Krystalinda will serve as the last thing really standing between us and Yggdrasil, and she's got one trick to do well. Her chief forms of attack are the Crackle spell and Chilly Breath attack, and she's also got two icy tricks to show in time. Krystalinda is considered a human design, rather than a monster, and there are no recolours of her later on.
Now then, let's heat things up.
We start with the usual, and-
...Wasn't expecting that right off the bat. Krystalinda has an attack that turns one character into a snowman, a status I think lasts more than just the one turn. It's mostly a variation of turn-stop, but it's still very frustrating.
Jade goes right for the punch.
And yes, this blocks against the snowman thing.
We are going to need thorough hypothermia treatment after this.
Up we get.
128 damage on a counterattack. This is why you leave the regular attacks behind, Kryssy.
Well, I had just had to say something, didn't I?
This is Krystalinda's other special trick.
Soft blindness and ice resistance down as a passive field effect. DQXI has a lot more "field effect" debuffs than past DQ games have included, and it's impossible to block or counter these.
Magic never misses.
And you can always just roll the dice.
Got her.
Erdward is so close to what he's going for. Although he's going to actually shake things up before he gets there- more details when that comes down.
Erik also got some more boomerang stuff.
Let's finish Krystalinda off!
Snorri picks up the book the witch was sealed in and starts casting. We can only hope he knows how to pull this off.
Apparently the book really got to her. Which, I mean, fair, but still.
Snorri, scholar, does not actually know how to recite the spell he needs to perform at first glance. Most scholars honestly don't really need to know how a word is pronounced in order to go about their business- it depends on the learner.
Veronica snaps him out of it and reminds him to cast the spell.
Of course the spell is a Mary Poppins joke.
It worked!
And Krystalinda rattles off an attempt at redemption. The easiest way not to be taken seriously is to do it when you're already defeated and we're literally just finishing you off.
Resealing Krystalinda seems to have been enough to undo her ice magic, and Sniflheim restores to "mostly frozen" status.
And everyone is perfectly fine. For the most part. Read that sentence as "they don't have hypothermic symptoms."
Oh wow, the real Frysabel is back!
...I wasn't aware she was "gone".
She did the second thing, but this is the first I've heard of the first. Well, it's a natural conclusion to draw.
...How did she look like her memory was muddled? She was just disoriented from suddenly appearing in a place through teleportation. If you're not in control of teleportation, disorientation is a perfectly natural response.
...I know she's new, but guys, give her a little credit! (We haven't seen enough of her to make any judgements about her talents.)
...Also, in light of something the plot doesn't mention, but we'll see when we're exploring the town- the people who got frozen don't think time passed. So what was Frysabel up to before Krystalinda got loose?
Well, that's us sorted.
Why not? Well, I suppose the real question is "why". What can Frysabel do that Snorri, a guy whose job it is to deal with ancient books, can't?
...It's dangerous, so we should get stuck babysitting it?
Frysabel accepts that outcome, in the tone of voice I do not associate with continued goodwill.
This is our last Orb, and the last Orb the player is expected to get, but the game doesn't want to assume you got the Green, Silver or Purple Orbs, so the Blue Orb is treated as just another of the Orbs. There's a separate bit for "you've got all six, here's your next objective".
...Yay?
Veronica: Yesss! Queen Frysabel's going to give us the Blue Orb as a reward for defeating Krystalinda! She said she'd be waiting for us in the castle. Come on, Erdward- let's go and get it before she changes her mind!
Serena: I was a little concerned that the poor people of Sniflheim would be badly affected by their horrible ordeal, but everyone's going about their business without a care in the world! It's as if they have no memory of having been frozen... Perhaps that's for the best. We wouldn't want them to have nightmares about it.
Sylvando: Finally, we see the true face of Sniflheim- and what a pretty little phiz it is! Just look at all the lovely little buildings, and the gorgeous stained-glass windows! No wonder they say ‘see Sniflheim and die’!
Jade: Erik said we should meet him by the main gates after we've finished doing whatever we need to do in the city. It seems he wants to be alone for a while. I don't know why. I suppose we all get that way from time to time...
Rab: Whoever would have thought that Queen Frysabel was Krystalinda all along...? That wicked witch certainly gave us the runaround, and no mistake. Still, we managed to see through her little disguise eventually, and bunged her back in the book for good measure. All's well that ends well, as they say.
Next time, we go through the town and claim our reward. You'd think there'd be some massive reveal next time to justify splitting the update in two. And there is a reveal. But it gets resolved without us having to do another dungeon (we've already done two) or fight another boss, this is just where it made the most sense to cut in terms of keeping the image count reasonable. I blame having done half of the Sniflheim area already.
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